Today marks the beginning of my official preparation for the CPA exam. I ordered and received my review materials from Gleim. Being a pilot, I just couldn’t go any other way. Gleim is so familiar!

From this vantage point (day #1), the road looks so damn long. One step at a time will keep it confrontable.

I spent some time planning and setting up guideposts to mark my progress. My hope is to take the 4 parts of the exam in this order on these dates:

Regulation: 7/6
Auditing: 8/10
FAR: 10/12
BEC: 11/23

All of these dates are Mondays. I figure I’ll be maximally rested from the weekend and will have had some uninterrupted review time leading into the exams.

This gives me 27 weeks of prep time. I’ve already done 13 study units in Gleim over the course of the last semester, so I am left with 67 remaining study units to tackle cold turkey. A quick number crunch shows me needing to average about 1 study unit every 2 days – assuming a 5 day week. That’s a tall order, but it can likely be done without too much of a problem. If I start running behind schedule, I’ll just realign the dates a bit, but that is only a last resort.

Assuming, this schedule and assuming I pass on the first go around, I’ll be done with EVERYTHING by mid Dec. That will give me about 2-3 weeks to rediscover the meaning of life, then I’ll figure out my next game for 2010.

Will I go work as a CPA or go back to professional aviation? Hmmmmmm…… Its a tough choice. I believe I know the answer, but I’ll hold my cards close in for now.

In an effort to organize and think logically, I have subdivided this semester into three parts, each of which leads to a round of tests, such that I can focus on each part as its own game distinct from the others. As such, I can say that part one was a success.

My raw score on the tax test was an 88%. The class average was a 69%. The professor gave everyone the opportunity to submit an extra assignment to boost the scores. As such, my grade will be brought up to an A from the high B.

I absolutely mutiliated the govt/non profit test. In fact the teacher plucked me from the class right before it was to start to shake my hand and tell me that my performance on the test was right up there with the best he’s ever seen. This professor is an old guy, so that means a lot. I humbly thanked him and sat back down. In all fairness, the test was curved by 18 points. With the curve, I received a 107%.

Is it just me, or is it getting hot in this room? Anyway, I digress:

The business law class is by far my weakest class. But, I am pulling a solid B right now, which is good enough. This class is basically all memorization and the professor leaves much to be desired. Either way, I am going to step up my game just a bit to make sure that B holds going forward.

My two online classes are both A’s right now as well.

In all fairness to the rest of the mere mortals in these classes, I am basically studying all day, every day. I do not consider myself a prodigy at all. My circumstances are such that I have the opportunity to focus all my attention on these classes rather than diluting it with significant hours at a job, children, or what-have-you.

A quick update regarding my aviation pursuits:

The FBO at Lakeland is supposedly in the negotiation phase regarding arranging a workable leaseback on a Piper Archer. My understanding is that I am going to slide in as one of their instructors. But as with anything in aviation, I’ll believe it when I am doing it. I am staying in touch with the owners and all seems on track. My fingers are crossed that a deal with be reached on the lease and I can be back in the air before too long making some pocket change flying an airplane again. On a side note, I haven’t quite reconciled how this accounting pursuit is going to fit into my real passion in life which is aviation. A problem to confront later on….

I can say, however, that had I remained at Trans States, I’d be on the street in about three weeks. The bid packet came out (I can still log into their website) and all my friends with whom I took initial training are all on the street. The most senior guy in my training class is now the most junior pilot at the company. This industry is dynamic and can change in an instant, but my gut tells me that those guys are going to be out of a job for a long while.

You could argue that I am out of a job too. However, the beauty of having resigned when I did is that RIGHT NOW, I am coming up on the half way point of this burdensome semester. Had I waited it out, I’d be on the street in a few weeks anyways and I’d have to wait until June before I could even begin this CPA project. I have a feeling that had I taken that route, I would have thought it the smarter route to have begun school sooner than later. Thus, even now 2 1/2 months after resigning, I am still patting myself on the back for having made the correct decision at the correct time.

Do I miss the cockpit? HELL YES!! Do I miss anything else about the job? HELL NO!!

Tonight is my first accounting test in quite some time, Business Taxation. I’ve got another class test on Thursday, followed by another on Monday.

I always get slightly nervous before tests because many of these accounting tests are like mini-books they drop in front of you. Multiple choice – HA! After the initial feeling of overwhelm as the clock ticks by and the pen first hits the paper, typically things flow fairly well from that point. At least that has been my experience.

I would tend to say that for this test tonight (my immediate problem as I will study for the others more in depth as they come), I am as prepared as anyone can be. There is nothing that I know that I don’t know. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t something I don’t know. But, I have done all the homework twice, 4 practice quizzes (only mistakes made are sloppy stuff because I am flying through them), etc.

So, I may look at my books once or twice more before test time, but at this point my grade is likely already in the bag – fated so to speak, based on the preparation I have put in. The dead horse is beat beyond recognition and I am scratching my head on what else to study.

Yet still, I will likely not score a 100%, but will get another still decent grade. The amount of detail to be remembered in these tests is stifling, especially a tax code test. Even with a thorough working understanding, taking a test under time pressure with nothing but a pen and a calculator is nearly always a recipe for missing some minor mundane detail. It is the nature of the beast.

Wish me luck!

Since I last posted an article here on PA, I was informed that the flight school that I work for is closing its doors. I am still under the impression that my seemingly bad luck in this department is merely coincidence and not something else. I seem to leave a trail of dead businesses behind me. Effective yesterday, the flight school I worked for closed shop for lack of financial sustainability. A flight school is a tough business to operate successfully and my respect is due to the owner for running it as long as he did (nearly 3 years, I believe. Though, I only worked there for less than 2 months since resigning from the airlines).

The first flight school I worked for in Winter Haven was on its way out before I even signed up. I enjoyed 3 months or so of fairly lucrative work before it slowed to a crawl. I quickly realized that the slow pace of things there wasn’t helping me reach my goals, so I joined up with Trans States Airlines and jumped over there just in the nick of time. I found out that the flight school had closed their doors less than a week after I left.

Trans States, again, proved fruitful for a good while and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. What scared me away more than anything was the lack of career growth in an increasingly ill industry coupled with the fact that my days at home were reducing due to my increasing juniority as others were being furloughed. Just like at the Winter Haven flight school, I got while the getting was good at the airline and held on as long as was feasible considering many factors. Even though I have long since been gone, my login information still logs me into the company website and I can see what my life would be like right now if I was still there. I want nothing to do with it! I’d be sitting reserve in IAD right now with minimum days off, commuting to reserve, with my furlough inching closing everyday. Trying to commute 800 miles, with a reserve schedule, and living out of a crashpad in IAD (STL crashpads look like luxury comparatively) = NOT FOR ME ANYMORE!

So, I resigned in good standing to pursue the CPA. This is undoubtedly the smartest possible thing that I can be doing right now, regardless of where my professional life ultimately takes me. To mentally compare side by side the opportunity to be doing this studying for school, excelling as I am, and moving the football down the field towards a known and objective goal, as compared to sitting in a crash pad hundreds of miles from home waiting for my phone to ring and otherwise wasting away in a crash pad as I contemplate life post furlough, the decision is clear. I pat myself on the back for making that decision when I did, because it was NOT an easy one to make, just ask my wife.

It became my objective to find away to stay in the air a reasonable amount as I worked toward the CPA, so I got on with a Lakeland flight school. I knew things were slow, but admittedly, didn’t see this closure coming as quickly as it came. With the hurting economy right now, the slow down of flight training at the part 61 schools, etc, it just wasn’t financially feasible to keep the school running as a going concern. As an accountant, I am aware the of difficulties when the numbers just don’t add up.

So, another one bites the dust. All three companies that I have worked for thus far as a professional pilot are either out of business or struggling desperately to stay afloat. United Airlines just posted their 2008 operating results and posted a $5.35 BILLION dollar loss!!! Do the math and that is $14,500,000 per day flying out the door – literally!. $14.5 MILLION dollars a day in the hole. That is $605,000 per hour, just over $10,000 per minute, or $170 per second!!!! My condolences to all the great guys at United Airlines. What an awesome company that place used to be. RIP.

Adding to the struggle closer to home, Trans States has lost all their American Airlines flying, and as such all their eggs are in the United Airlines basket. If I was relying on another company to keep my company afloat and that company was losing $10,000/minute everyday of the year, I’d be VERY nervous.

Welcome to the new aviation industry for the next many years. Will it bounce back? Yes. But it won’t be any time soon. Aviation for the sake of aviation is a tough business. This doesn’t mean you can’t make it as a pilot, but I believe the safest companies to be at right now are the companies that utilize flying as an incidental to a non-aviation business. IOW, corporate flying, or fractional ownership, etc.

So my thought is, diversify myself. If non-aviation businesses are the primary crutch for the remaining few secure pilot jobs, I might as well finish my education in a non-aviation related field. I believe the CPA is as worthy an endeavor as any.

So, I am back to networking around trying to find some flying. The reduction in income from the closure of the school isn’t going to materially effect me. Its more of a matter of my sanity to find an avenue into the sky. I am still working with a local student in his personal airplane, so for now I am still up there a little bit. But worse case scenario, I don’t fly at all over the next year as I finish this CPA. I doubt that will happen. But if it does, I need to remember that I logged 800+ hours in 2008, more than enough to hold me over until this CPA is done.

I am not posting quite as often as usual lately. For those who follow me, I apologize for that. This semester is a VERY busy one to say the least and I have been spending just about all of my time buried in textbooks.

Last week and the next 15 weeks (16 week semester) is basically a sprint. It is NOT a marathon and I have to keep reminding myself of this daily. When I lack any free time and am spending my time locked away in my office studying instead of doing other things, I need to remember that this is a 4 month “Hale Mary”. Once this term is over, the workload will drop back down to a normal pace and will stay there through completion of the CPA certificate. I’ll still be busy, but it should be quite doable.

I purposely front loaded the work curve for 2009 because I am currently not making very much money at all (airline resignation and school demands). I figured that the more I can get completed up front, the better it will be later in terms of flexibility (whether that entails needing a part time job while I finish this or not). I’m set for the next 6 months with no problem. Beyond that, I will have to stick my finger in the breeze and see what the road ahead looks like. But for the foreseeable future, its gangbusters while I have the opportunity.

Week 1 was a success. I am basically where I need to be right now. Readings and homework are completed according to the syllabus time lines and things are basically on target – as of this moment. The way to the finish line is one step at a time. Thus, tomorrow begins week 2. I have already devised a tentative study time line and plan on hitting the ground running in the morning. 1 week down, 15 to go! It’ll be over before I know it.

Catch you soon.

And I’m ready!

Regardless of what happens with me and the airlines/aviation industry in the long term, what I am getting ready to start tomorrow is going to benefit me in many ways in or out of aviation. I am about to cross the threshold back into a world I haven’t been in in nearly four years – College.

How complex can mankind make the subject of money?

I am about to rediscover! I’ve got a pile of books over a foot thick, just printed my first class syllabus (all 36 pages of it), bought a fancy pen (I write so much in these classes, a Bic just won’t do), my book bag is stocked and I am ready to go.

2009 is primarily meant to delve into and ultimately triumph over the material that will bring me from where I stand presently to a new place standing at yet another crossroads in life but with a heavier cap brimming with yet another feather.

I’ve done some difficult things in life, so I cannot say that this will be the most difficult. But it “could” be. No matter if it is or not, it is going to prove a formidable foe and it won’t be me going down in the end.

I figure I am about to be a CPA and will be taking corporate tax classes and law classes, etc. I was thinking of a way to make it personal and thus, more interesting and have been toying with the idea of creating a corporation with which to play with.

My long term goal is to run my own profitable business. It will be primarily a Phase I (I do the work) business at first focusing on accounting and tax, but I want to have a separate branch focusing on aviation matters. I’d love to figure out a way to make a material portion of my income through aviation related affairs, perhaps specializing in airline pilot tax prep, or structuring aircraft leases, or acting as an airplane broker, etc.

Clearly, the corporation will operate with very minimal income for a while. The primary purpose in the short term is to give me a “baby”, with which to learn about babies. It would be sort of like going to auto mechanic class. Might as well buy a car to apply your knowledge to, eh?

Anyway, its all in the early stages. I have decided on a name, but will keep it private until the state approves it and all the paperwork is filed.

I am excited about it. I am thinking that since it is an accounting business and the CPA is continuing education to increase my marketability in my existing profession, it should be entirely deductible within the corporation. I believe that losses that flow through are limited to basis in the corporation. In other words, I do not believe that I can just form the entity, then just deduct the tuition and be done with it. In all likelihood, I will have to make a significant personal cash contribution to the business in order to establish basis, which will then allow me to take the losses and benefit to a greater degree than I would with the lifetime learning credit.

Anyway, I admit, I am basically clueless on all this. As the title says, it is an experiment. I’ll learn more about it as I take these classes and work towards this CPA. In time, I hope to build the business up to something pretty cool.

As of this moment, I couldn’t be happier. Its only been 3 days since I resigned, but life looks so much better from here. Chief among everything, I feel a new found respect for my home. It is a meager house, but it is OURS. My bed is my bed and will see me in it every night for some time to come. I am smiling as well at the thought that I will see my wife every day for the foreseeable future. I spent more time with any given captain on a 4-day trip than I spent with my wife in many weeks. That isn’t exactly what I call a balanced life.

Instead of being in a “hang on” phase, I am once again in a “building” phase. My hands are on the steering wheel again, the auto pilot is off, and its time to shine.

One of the most important goals going forth, as I have mentioned in another post, is to dedicate a percentage (10% or so) of my free attention to build up my flying involvement, network, meet new people, learn new things, explore new ways to stay involved with aviation, etc. I am officially a flight instructor for a local flight school now. I’ve gotten checked out in their airplane and am very excited about teaching again. I’ve logged nearly 6 hours in the airplane now and am feeling more and more comfortable every time I fly it. I’ve shaken 3 or 4 hands since I’ve been there and am going to continue to “be around” for any opportunities that arise. I am also working with a student on an independent basis flying his personally owned Cessna 150 and am loving that very much. So, for now things are moving along well with the aviation world. I will never log the quantity of hours that I would at an airline. But, I’d rather fly 4 hours in a week and have FUN than fly 30 hours in the flight levels living off Subway and McDonald’s and staying at the LaQuinta over and over again missing my wife and family.

My school schedule is almost perfect and I am stoked about beginning in January. My primary goal is to get this CPA test done and behind me as quickly as possible, followed very closely by staying very active as a flight instructor and in the air logging as many hours as possible. Logged hours + ground instruction given = money. Money = good.

I’ve got a 15 item do list that has to be knocked off during the next 3 weeks before school starts. So even in this brief time between obligations, there is no rest for the weary.

I am constantly thinking of ways to blend my accounting knowledge with aviation going forth. I believe it will be possible down the road to set a material portion of my to-be business to working with aviation business matters. It is an interesting thought…….

Good times ahead.

Its nearly time to close this chapter of my life for a while. I am officially flying my last trip for this airline right now. I am sitting in my hotel room in Newark, NJ and am about to go to bed shortly. Tonight is the last night that I will spend away from home for quite sometime to come. Tomorrow morning, I will rise at 4:15am for a 2 leg flying day. Its back to Washington DC, then back to St. Louis.

Once I arrive back to base, I need to make a quick trip to the crash pad to pick up the remaining few items that I am bringing home. Then it is back to the airport to swing by the flight manager’s office to drop off all company materials and sign the dotted line. Obviously, I am required to turn in my company ID, which officially changes my status from a CASS approved airline pilot to a mere passenger. Oh well. However, I am equipped with a buddy pass which should suffice to get me home the last time.

Is there a little bit of sweet sorrow? Yes. However, I am in such a better position than I was in before to judge the situation and feel that this is the right decision on many levels. Occasionally, I wonder to myself ‘WTF’ I am doing? I’ve worked so hard to achieve this position and I am throwing it all away!

But, am I?

My answer is no. I have logged 1,050 hours of multi engine jet experience and have learned and experienced so many things that will stay in my skill set and logbook. I’ve also learned and experienced the airline pilot lifestyle. One cannot truly understand the intricacies of it without actually living it, the seniority system, the bidding system, the union struggles, the picketing, the mentality of the gate agents and rampers, the “chuminess” with fellow pilots, the discussions of the meaning of life while hurdling through the air for hours on end, etc. This job is a really great JOB and I have earned the ability to do it by building the initial experience and will continue to possess that going forth should I decide to pursue it again. But, it is a horrible CAREER choice. It really is. Its very difficult on marriages, family life, provides little job security, professional advancement based entirely on luck and not personal merit, and other factors outside of our sphere of control (fuel prices, 9/11, etc). And, from a guy who has done it, I will say, very sanely and with a clear and sharp mind, that it is VERY mind numbing. Every flight is the same as the last. There are no problems to solve. The only hope of something new is if something goes wrong. So we hope for a boring day! Its just climb, cruise, descent, climb, cruise, descent, ad nauseum.

As for the career, I think of it as a balanced equation or when you are playing a 1st person shoot em’ up video game where you increase one characteristic, “stamina” for example, and thus lose abilities in another characteristic….you know what I am talking about. With this job, I could lose any combination of things so long as the other traits increase. I can deal with low pay. No problem. But give me some days off. I can deal with minimal days off. No problem. But give me some pay!! I can even lose both of these things, so long as an upgrade was within sight and thus the silver lining on the clouds leading to a better life (a job with a major airline or a great pilot corporate position). I could even do without all three of these things if I didn’t have to commute and was treated like a worthy and valuable asset to the company. However, in these times and at this company, in a sea of negatives, the only bright spot is the fact that I get to fly often. It is this single positive trait that has kept me here this long.

With a lifetime of opportunities ahead, a beautiful wife that I barely deserve, two dogs that are very dear to my heart, two cats (notice no additional adjectives), a nice home, a Jeep that just wants to be driven, this life is what I make of it. I have decided that my happiness isn’t going to come from a job or an airplane, it is going to come from within myself. Life must constantly be created to make it interesting. One downside of the piloting profession is that the creation aspect is mostly absent.

Choosing a noble path, then throwing myself into it whole heartedly (as I have done with professional aviation) and working up my competence level and marketability will serve the purpose of exchange with the world to live here. Besides that, I am going to focus more on what really LIVING is all about.

I’ve got a very difficult year ahead for 2009. Its going to be one for the history books. But, I firmly believe that the benefits to be had are levels ahead of where I would be if I merely continued upon this same path, even if part of me is slightly dejected over the idea of walking away. I wish it had worked out. But life throws you lemons and I believe I am making lemonade. I don’t have much invested into this company right now and the ship is sinking. I must constantly remind myself that the bridge is still there to walk should I decide to do so. That, is being in control.

I will always be a pilot ahead of most other things. I have secured a position with a local flight school and am very excited about teaching aviation to students again and being the best flight instructor possible. This position will keep me in the air enough to keep sane and will provide some extra money to help with bills while in school.

I’ve decided to exert about 10% of my total brain power on promoting myself in aviation, networking, learning new things, blogging about it on this site, and communicating with others in the field. If I do nothing, it’ll die and I’ll find myself sitting at a desk buried in tax returns and out of currency. The fire must be constantly fueled and this is my task going forth…..

Even though this airline job is over tomorrow, I am just getting started with aviation. When the wheels hit the ground tomorrow at the end of that last leg, I will remember that my last day here is the first day of the rest of my life and that a world of opportunity awaits me, ready for earning. In fact, I’ve got two instructional flights scheduled for my first day back home. So I am going right back up there to do my thing the very next day.

And it is sort of symbolically interesting that my last day here falls on a Monday.

That is how I can walk away smiling.

I am a simple man and live in a simple world.

My goal is to start my own “mom and pop” tax/consulting business in 4 or 5 years. Like an airline pilot, I am going to have to pay my dues at a firm for a few years to build up my knowledge so that I can become more and more autonomous with the material. When I am done with the CPA, I am going to submit my resume to the smaller firms in the area (2-5 partners). I see the experience to be gained in this smaller, more informal area, to be more analogous to where I want to go in the profession.

I can see myself opening my own business, ramping it up to the black over a year or two, and growing it just large enough to turn six figures or so, then just maintain that.

Key to my decision to embark upon this journey is the knowledge that this IS where I will end up. Unlike aviation, when I do it and how I do it are entirely up to me. And it can be done. Starting a CPA business isn’t that difficult because it is a service based business. Knowing the subject followed by aggressive marketing is all it takes.

Sitting at a desk working for someone else on someone else’s terms does not interest me in the slightest. In fact, if I knew that this road was leading me into this rut where all I could expect is to work for a firm under the thumb of someone else, I’d stick it out in the airlines.

My entire family are entrepreneurs. My bro is a professional blogger, father owns an architectural business, mother owns a childcare center, uncle is a storage provider and buys/sells boats, father in law owns a dirt pit, etc. I am no stranger to witnessing what goes into running a business.

If I am in control, my financial success is directly proportional to the work I do rather than my annual review, if I can vacation when I want without having it “approved”, etc, then I am completely willing to work the required hours to run the business.

I am 27 years old, I’ve got the next 45 years of my working life to mold it into what I want it to be and come hell or high water, I will achieve my vision.

Some out there will offer advice that it is too hard and not worth it, but I have succeeded at too many things after having received “advice” that it couldn’t or shouldn’t be done.

There are those out there who want to be big shots, wear their pressed suits, drive their fancy cars and work for the big firm. I am not that guy. I will drive my Jeep, wear blue jeans, and focus on providing services to the “middle class”, as Obama would call it and I expect to do just fine.

There is room for everybody. It is human nature to make the rules more and more complicated over time. College textbooks are thicker than they used to be, as is the FAR/AIM, etc. And the tax code, filing requirements on Govt/NP companies, etc will continue to get thicker ensuring work for the profession.

Also, for me, the CPA is also just a noble game to play right now. I am aware that it gives no extra privileges besides signing off on an attestation. But, to the lay eye, an accountant = a CPA. In order to market myself as laid out, I’d love to put those letters behind my name. It just might get me more phone calls and hence more business.

As an alternative road, I can also see myself getting the CPA done, the airline business starts booming again, going back to a better regional (or even directly into a corporate aviation position, I have nearly 2,000 hours and over 1,000 ME/turbine), going through the right seat again, upgrading to get the PIC time, then looking to get a position where I can not only fly some of the time, but support many of the business functions as well. A pilot with experience AND a knowledgeable CPA in one person could prove to be a powerful combination in the corporate aviation world.

All options are on the table.

Its Sunday afternoon right now at about 2:42pm. I am sitting in Pittsburgh, PA in yet another hotel room while my wife enjoys her weekend helping the in-laws put up Christmas lights around the house, put up the Christmas tree, etc. Just another example of how this lifestyle is difficult.

As I stated in a previous post, my resignation has since been turned in. I am leaving here with a minor feeling of sweet sorrow. But, honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way. I have never left a job (well, ok, one) where a part of me didn’t want to go back. And so it goes with this one. I loved the actual flying part (about 18% of the total job). After all, above all else in my life, save for a father (eventually) and husband, I am a pilot first and everything else thereafter. There is something about flying an airplane that I just MUST have. A disease of sorts. The first step is to admit that I have a problem.

“Hello, my name is Bryan and I am an aeroholic”.

So, it is this aspect of everyday flying, logging flight time hand over fist, etc that I will likely miss. But, then again, am I actually giving it up? I am working on doing some flight instruction while I am in school. Certainly, the quantity of time won’t be there. But the quality of it will be. I don’t need to log a 1,000 hours a year to scratch the flying itch. In fact, I think I could do it with 100-200 hours per year fairly easily.

Of course, when the CPA is done and I am established at making a respectable paycheck (something I haven’t experienced in 2 years now), purchasing an airplane will be one of the first orders of business.

But, there is so much more to life than flying. Like an alcoholic (an aeroholic in my case), there is more to life than drinking. It is these things that I must focus on going forth and it is these things which have led me to make the decision to leave the airlines. And it has been one of toughest decisions I have ever made.

In the short term, from here, I have to endure the rest of today in this hotel room. Tomorrow morning, is the last day of this non-commutable trip. Tomorrow is a 7 hour flying day (very rare), 2 RDU turns, then back to STL. Southwest Airlines has removed the late night St Louis to Orlando flight, so when I get back into STL tomorrow evening at 7:10pm, I’ve got to spend the night and catch the 7am flight out the following morning, cutting the first of only 2 days off in half. Once I get home, I’ve got 1.5 days of personal time before I go back for the final trip. On the second day off, I am going to head to a local flight school and get checked out in their airplane. I am a bit concerned about that, honestly, as I am not incredibly current with small airplane flying right now. But, I believe it is like riding a bicycle, such that after 2 or 3 hours and a handful of touch and go’s, I’ll be ready to rock and roll. I’ve done it before and I can do it again!

Then it is back to STL on the 11th for the last and final trip. Its a 2 day and a 3 day back to back. I will be back into STL on day 5 at 10am. I just need to turn in my company materials, sign any forms I need to sign, then head home. I might make a swing by the crash pad quickly just to tie up loose ends there before heading out. Since I am required to turn in my company ID, I will no longer be able to jump seat. Therefore, I have a buddy pass that I am planning on using for the final return trip.

After that I’ve got a slew of things to do to prepare for school. I won’t bore you with the details. However, the 3 weeks between the end of this job and the beginning of school will hardly be all fun and games and relaxation, though I deserve some of that. I am wound so tight right now its unbelievable. I can use some time to just unwind and clear my mind.

So, I’ll be home the 9th, gone again the 11th, and back home the 15th for the final time. I am ready to do this, finally. There will be no better time than now to finish this CPA. I do not know exactly what the future holds, and how exactly everything is going to unfurl. But, as facts unfold, I will do my best and try to seize every opportunity to market my aviation abilities, be the best flight instructor I can possibly be, and to otherwise kick ass and take names with this CPA endeavor.

I am beside myself here. A couple seats opened in Tampa for 2 classes that I need towards the CPA. I am looking to take one more accounting class in the spring. I am currently registered for a couple options at another campus. So at least I have a fail safe option. However, I am waiting for a seat to open on the local campus so I can transfer the additional class closer to home too.

Registering for these classes is the perfect segway that guarantees my post airline plans will go down. As such, I have officially tendered my resignation with the airline. I gave them one last request to try to figure out a way to keep my name on the list, but I don’t see it working out. I am one in a sea of endless striped shoulders to them with this current surplus. The bean counters (damn them all!!! ) would probably enjoy the short term benefit of keeping me off their list so they don’t have to continue to pay FUTA (Unemployment) on me.

I will say, first off, that I have been pretty disgruntled lately about this airline job. Backing away three feet, though, I think I do sometimes get carried away with things that I have posted both on this website and in public forums.

Things at this specific airline are pretty bleak. We are on the verge of striking, have already conducted two informational picketing events. Those who know the GoJet/Trans States story will have an appreciation for the mentality that this management group governs with. This being my first endeavor into the airline world, I would have to say that above all else, I am disappointed with many aspects of it and have voiced my opinion through many posts on this website.

However, let it be known, that I still have a healthy respect for what the profession used to be and what it has the potential to be as regards compensation, advancement, and overall job satisfaction. The profession is a highly skilled one and the costs of error are incalculable.

Regardless of my contempt for the current situation, I have always taken my job seriously and will continue to do so until the end and will do so again should I come back. I have played by all the rules laid down, sitting reserve when I am supposed to, flying the trips I am supposed to fly, I do not have excessive sick calls, and I have never missed a commute (due to my conservative nature and sense of responsibility – leaving the night before, etc).

I am fortunate to have worked with such a great group of pilots here. I very much consider the experience to have been a worthy pursuit and have not given up on the profession in whole. True, I am walking away slightly disgruntled, but still holding appropriate respect for the profession, the pilots, and the goals of the management teams.

Due to the relatively small group of us out there, this website could be a double edged sword for me. It has been said that should a hiring board get a hold of this website and tie it to me, I wouldn’t get hired.

When it comes to the actual doingness of the job, I have done everything that has been asked of me and will follow the straight road until the door is closed behind me, even leaving sick time in the bank. This website serves as a medium on which I can post my thoughts (both the good and bad) regarding the aviation industry and the subject as a whole. However, I am likely going to have to temper what I write from now on in order to not deface my professionalism should I decide to come back to the profession in the future.

My December schedule just came out and I have decided on my last day with this company and will submit my resignation appropriately.

Looking at my class situation, things are still in the green. A few of the seats have been filled in a few of the accounting classes, but they are still showing good availability at T minus 6 days. I get nervous thinking about registration. I don’t mind driving to another campus if I have to, but I certainly hope these classes remain open so I can have something on my schedule that will work for me. This Thursday @ 1pm is when I can register. My plan is to fly home on the 3rd, then right when 1pm comes, drop my requests in. Assuming it comes back in the positive, I will be grinning from ear to ear.

I am still oscillating back and forth about this job. Its the damnedest thing you can imagine unless you dwell within my skull. I’ve worked so very hard to get here, and it DOES beat sitting at a desk. I am just not built to work in an office. However, I am viewing it as diversifying myself while the airline business is in the tank. However, the thought of running my own business in due time does make me smile. Looking at the big picture, rather than merely short term gratification is key. Time will tell what happens. However, one thing is for sure – I am nearly done FOR NOW. And I am so stoked about going back to school and getting this CPA done.

The publication of the December schedule along with my associated withdrawal date indicate 53 hours of scheduled flying between now and then. Assuming I fly it all, I should walk away with 1,802 hours total time, 1050 jet time, 1100 multi engine. My only hard goal is to hit 1,000 in type. This will happen. Guaranteed! 1,800 TT is not really a hard goal, but would be cool to hit before I leave, no question about it.

Also, to those that know me (even those that don’t), I have created BryanRisley.com and have forwarded it to this website. I went ahead and secured that URL now since my plan is to run my own business down the road. I would assume that I will use that URL for it. However, in word of mouth recommendations for the site, it might be easier to just say BryanRisley.com, rather than PassionAviator.com.

Risley, OUT!

The end is so near, I can hear the fat lady clearing her throat.

Here is where I stand:

My current time in type (EMB-145) lies at 996.3 hours. My goal is to hit 1,000 hours. Is there a difference between 996.3 and 1,000? No, not really. But, I’ll feel a nice warm and toasty feeling inside to see 1,000 hours in that column of my logbook. Plus, I’ve given up so much to experience what I have experienced over the last 18 months. Regardless of where I go in aviation, commericial or private, charter or 121, students, wife, or solo, I am a MUCH better pilot now than I was when I began all of this.

I have been exposed to (more than exposed – I have done it through and through):

1. Modern airliner systems. Glass cockpit, flight directors, 3 axis auto pilot, anti-icing technology, system logics and redundancies, complex electrical systems, hydraulic systems, pressurization systems, EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System), etc.

2. I now have almost 50 hours of level D full motion flight simulation experience. I have received training and passed 2 orals and 2 checkrides in a structured, high pressure environment where failure carries with it stiff penalties.

3. I have extensive experience flying in the flight levels (above 18,000 feet), at 500 knots. I have extensive experience flying approaches (both instrument and visual) at significantly higher speeds than a typical GA airplane (Cat C).

4. I have experience dodging thunderstorms at night and during the day using RADAR assisted by the timeless MARK-I eyeball. I have experience flying in icing conditions, heavy rain, and snow. I have witnessed St. Elmo’s fire on multiple occasions.

5. I am familiar with deicing and anti-icing procedures, computing holdover times of the part I-IV fluids.

6. I am familiar with what an MEL actually is and how it is used and how it affects the flight depending on the item that is deferred.

7. I am familiar with the fairly modern concept of CRM (crew resource management), what it means, and how it works in the real world.

8. I am familiar with such concepts as derived minimums, take off alternates, and exemption 3585, how part 121 aircraft performance is figured and conveyed, associated penalties for things such as an icing take-off, wet runway, etc.

9. I am familiar with Jeppesen publications, how to use them, and how to update them.

10. I am familiar with how a part 121 airline operates, maintenance issues, dispatch, flight control, station operations, etc up to and including how to bid, duty regs, how the seniority system works, how airline unions work, the politics involved, and the career progression possibilities. I have also experienced commuting in all its glory along with living life in a crashpad.

Among other things…..

In addition to the exposure to these things, I also will have gained over 1,000 hours of flight time flying a modern multi engine jet aircraft. I will have more than doubled my flight experience by the time I close the door softly behind me. The experience has been invaluable and I am walking away (from this company ONLY) with my head held high. Despite the personal sacrifices of time away from home, family hardships, etc, there are scant other ways that I could have achieved a boost of this kind to my resume and general skill set.

Looking ahead:

I have spent some time researching deeper into what classes are available at USF. It looks as though (knock on wood) that I will be able to get into 1 or 2 of the accounting classes that I need. The downside is that I will likely be driving to Sarasota or St. Petersburg campuses to do it. I don’t particularly mind this. Actually, compared to the commuting that I have done over the last 18 months, a 2 hour drive doesn’t seem too damn bad to me. I cannot register for 10 days yet. I am holding my breath that a few of these classes are still open when registration times comes. Some of them have 26 seats available right now (Damn, that sounds eerily familiar ). And most people are not willing to make that kind of drive, thus increasing my chances of success.

There are multiple online courses available to fulfill the 4 elective classes that I need above and beyond the accounting requirements. I will likely take one or two business classes just to enrich my knowledge on the subject. However, considering I will need as much time available as possible to flight instruct or do whatever else (with the result of making money), an online class would suit me well. Most of the online classes available have NOTHING to do with business. However, some would prove interesting and would require little from me in terms of effort. I am not lazy, but need to channel what free attention I will have into things that actually move the proverbial football down the field.

I have already put in my notice of resignation to the crash pad land lord. I have also requested an early furlough from the company, but have received a letter back from the chief pilot basically denying my request. He didn’t outright say “no”, but stated that due to the multiple requests he has received for the same thing from other pilots, that it could be mid to late Dec by the time an early furlough request could be granted. By then it will be too late for me. As such, Dec 20th will be my last day in the absence of something else that convinces me otherwise. A 2 week notice is customary and as such, my notice will be submitted Dec 6th. My class registration date is Dec 4th. So if the powers that be are good to me, I should have a few of the needed classes in the bag by the time my resignation notice goes in.

I am very excited about what the next 18 months is going to hold. The last 18 months got me to a point where I could list those 10 items out above. The next 18 months is going to see me holding a CPA certificate and likely on the verge of having our first child. When we have our first kid, I seriously doubt that the airlines will fit into my new lifestyle. I will work as a CPA for a while, bringing down a good income and learning to be more and more autonomous. I’ll pay off the few student loans I will incur, upgrade Joanna’s car, and go buy an old Cessna 172 or Cherokee 180 to play with. The long term goal, professionally, is to open my own business. A CPA business is an easy one to start. Being a service business, the start up costs are minimal. It’ll be marketing and demographics that will get the ball rolling.

Should I long for the airlines down the road, my resume should be competitive (assuming my recency is in tact) and I will have one hell of an “ace in the hole” should the industry nose dive again.

Cheers,

Bryan